Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world

Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, according to Copernicus's new report, the ‘European State of the Climate 2025’.

And Eastern Europe is warming faster than Western Europe… Greece is on the frontline.

Heatwaves

In July 2025, an estimated 85% of Greece's population was exposed to extreme temperatures at or above 40°C, reaching a national maximum of 44°C. The same heatwave pushed temperatures to 50.5°C in Türkiye and 44.7°C in Cyprus – figures that, just a decade ago, would have been considered implausible for this region.

Wildfires

Southeastern Europe experienced what the report describes as a particularly intense wildfire season. Greece saw one of its most severe outbreaks in recent years, with at least 50 wildfires reported in a single 24-hour period. Across all of Europe, 2025 set a new record for total burnt area – over 1 million hectares – and wildfire emissions reached their highest level in the 23-year Copernicus record.

Our seas

The Mediterranean Sea recorded its second warmest year ever in 2025, at 21.35°C – more than 1°C above the long-term average. For the third consecutive year, the entire basin experienced at least “strong” marine heatwave conditions. In each of the last three years, over half the sea reached “severe” or “extreme” levels. The report is clear: marine heatwaves in the Mediterranean have shifted from occasional events to recurring annual episodes.

This matters for Greece in ways that go beyond temperature records. Posidonia oceanica – the endemic seagrass that lines our coastlines, stores carbon up to 30 times faster than tropical rainforests, supports nursery habitat for major fisheries, and buffers our shores against erosion – has declined by up to 34% across the Mediterranean over the past 50 years. Under a high-emissions pathway, up to 75% of remaining suitable habitat could be lost by 2050.

The opportunity

The same report documents that renewables supplied 46.4% of Europe's electricity in 2025 – the first time wind and solar together exceeded fossil fuels. Solar alone reached a record 12.5% share, with 65 GW of new capacity added across the EU. Southern Europe, with its exceptional solar resource, sits at the centre of this transition.

The science is consistent, cumulative, and now fully documented. Greece bears the impact. Greece can also lead the response.

This is what Synerra exists to accelerate.

Sources

• Copernicus/ECMWF – European State of the Climate 2025